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Sister Act comes to Springfield’s historic Landers Theatre Sister Act is the feel-amazing musical comedy smash based on the hit 1992 film that has audiences jumping to their feet! When disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder, she is put in protective custody in one place the cops are sure she won’t be a found: a convent! Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with both the
rigid lifestyle and uptight Mother Superior. Using her unique disco moves and singing talent to inspire the choir, Deloris breathes new life into the church and community but in doing so, blows her cover. Filled with powerful gospel music, outrageous dancing and a truly moving story, Sister Act will leave audiences breathless. A sparkling tribute to the universal power of friendship, Sister Act is reason to REJOICE!
To purchase tickets, call the box office at 417.869.1334 or you can order online at www.springfieldlittletheatre.org Director: John R. “Chuck” Rogers
Choreographer: Josh Inmon Music Director: Susan Gravatt Based on the Touchstone Pictures Motion Picture Sister Act written by Joseph Howard
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Learn About The History Of The KC Monarchs See details on page 3
Building Empowering Connections In Our Diverse Community
Urban twist to traditional style ballroom dancing By Tyler Hatten, Unite Contributing Writer
Mary Ann Rojas
Alison Saar American (born 1956) Black Bottom Blues, 2001, oil on carved wood Working primarily in sculpture, but also in printmaking and painting, Alison Saar envisions each material as imbued with its own “spirit and wisdom.” Although she has admitted that each work is often a highly personal way of working out her own anxieties, her talent is in translating the personal to embody concerns that transcend race and gender. In Black Bottom Blues, Saar has carved three wooden reliefs of sleeping nudes shown from behind. These well-proportioned women celebrate their femininity yet also draw our attention sharply to the reality of ethnic stereotyping. Saar says that the title’s wordplay refers to the traditions of African American blues music and the rich cobalt blue paint of the sculpture’s surface. Both expressive and detached, this work straddles the realms of folk art and “high art.”
Photo provided BySpringfield Art Museum
March 18 – April 3, 2016 Tickets are $16 -$35
March 2016 Volume 26/ Number 3 • A Monthly Publication by Unite of Southwest Missouri, Inc •
Business jobs, marketing and information technology in demand over next 5-10 years Stor y on page 2
6th Annual MIB Heritage Awards March 15, at Double Tree Hotel
Everyone knows that look you give your partner when a certain song plays and forces your shoulders to bounce. Fingers locked, eyes gazing and you’re ready to dance. But which dance will you do? Ballroom dance is a style of partner dance with various versions performed around the world. However dancers Capers Tyus, Tyrone Bradley and Linda Harris from Michigan developed “Detroit Ballroom” Continued on page 2
Larry Gates shown instructing his dance class at Ballroom World
Norman Jackson Band places third in the 2016 International Blues Competition, Memphis TN By Tyler Hatten, Unite Contributing Writer
Blues aren’t just colors you see in the sky or on your clothes. It’s a genre which expresses someone’s life and helps uplift others. Blues is hotter than a skillet and as cold as winter. Blues gives you that feeling of your favorite cousin sliding you a piece of candy from underneath the table. Norman Jackson, born in Canton, OH., is a born entertainer. With his mother being a singer,
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The Norman Jackson Band performing in Memphis, TN
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